It’s something that we’ve been waiting for since 1983. After 25 years, a championship is back in Philadelphia. Good bye Curse of William Penn. Thank you Philadelphia Phillies.
It’s unmistakable that every man on the Phillies roster, every man, has stepped up huge at some point this post-season. It’s impossible to give the MVP to any one player. Congratulations to Cole Hamels though: you deserve it. Without a doubt, this World Series was a complete team effort.
The Phillies fan in body paint certainly delivered some karma to the Phillies (and the Eagles to boot). Let’s re-cap:
– Phillies win Game 3 after Jamie Moyer pitched a gem, 3 HRs get the job done, and Phillies get the final run to seal the deal in the bottom of the 9th thanks to a player hit by a pitch, an arrant throw allowed him to get from 1st to 3rd, and Ruiz was able to get him in off an infield hit. Even though I had to get up at 8:00 a.m. Sunday Morning, every inning of that game was worth staying up until 2:00 a.m. for.
– Eagles get a huge win at home over Atlanta. We’ll get to the good and bad from that later.
– Phillies win Game 4 after JOE BLANTON pitches a gem AND homers for good measure. There was a flurry of home runs by the Phils. It seemed as if just about everyone in their lineup had a homer (or RBI). HR: Ryan Howard had 2, Joe Blanton added his in the 5th, Jimmy Rollins was 6 inches away from his, but that didn’t matter because he got a double out of it and Jason Werth homered at the next at bat to take the game to 8-2. RBI: We got one from Pat Burrell and Pedro Feliz. Surprisingly no RBIs from Ultey, but he got one base twice on walks and scored 2 runs.
Spads conducted an interview with Eagles President Joe Banner. Here are some highlights:
– Why no moves were made at the trade deadline: Eagles are always looking for ways to improve the team. They were in talks with KC, but they did not want to trade Tony Gonzalez. They felt compelled to listen to offers due to Tony’s request, but none of the offers were good enough.
– How Banner views Roy Williams being traded to the Cowboys: The Cowboys paid a lot. Banner wouldn’t pay that much despite the player that Roy is. Cowboys traded two 1st -round picks for Galloway and 12 years later, they still haven’t won a playoff game.
– The acquisition of acquiring Tracy White and releasing Tony Hunt: The addition of White will help the Eagles on special teams. It’s disappointing when a first day draft pick doesn’t work out, but even the best evaluators usually hit only 50% of their picks. You go into draft knowing some will work out and others won’t. When a situation doesn’t work out, you have to move on.
– Thoughts on the Fullback position: Eagles are back with Klecko and they feel good about him, but they’re still searching for the answer.
– Eagles players coming back to the team (Westbrook, Curtis, Brown): Adding players to what we have is optimistic going forward. It’s time to get on a roll with these players.
– Salary Cap: It’s time to offer extensions to players. Eagles are evaluating options, but don’t want to discuss publicly who they’re approaching and not approaching. The Eagles both starting tackles are in the final year of their contract. Unfortunately, the Eagles will have to let some players hit free agency this offseason.
– Draft Moves: We got good value for the picks. We essentially traded Anthony Spencer for Kevin Kolb, Stewart Bradley, and Brent Celek. It looks like the Eagles won that one. The Eagles also essentially traded Jeff Otah for a 2009 first-round pick and Trevor Laws and then got DeSean Jackson to boot. The Eagles gained a lot of value there.
– The Falcons: Amazing turn around for them. Great QB and they play aggressively. Obviously a game the Eagles have to win going forward.
BRIAN WESTBROOK — Coach Andy Reid said Monday that Brian Westbrook (ribs) is “progressing” and has a chance to return after the Eagles’ Week 7 bye.
REGGIE BROWN – First a hamstring injury, then a groin injury. It doesn’t appear to be too serious and now he’ll have 3 weeks to get healthy again.
KEVIN CURTIS — He traveled with the team to San Fransisco, but was inactive for the game. Now that the Eagles have the bye week, I expect that he’ll be fully healthy and ready to go against the Falcons.
SHAWN ANDREWS — The latest word is that surgery on his back is not likely required and doctor’s are “optimistic” about it. After missing the last 4 games, and now with the bye week, I wonder if having him back in week 8 is a possibility. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.
RECAP FROM ANDY REID’S PRESS CONFERENCE:
– Max Jean-Gilles – Shoulder sprain.
– Lito Sheppard – Hamstring strain.
– Tra Thomas – Foot strain.
– Reggie Brown – Groin strain.
– J.R. Reed – Ankle sprain. Hamstring strain.
– Brain Westrbook – Making progress with ribs.
– Shawn Andrews – Seeing 4th back specialist.
– Kevin Curtis – Making Progress.
– All players except Shawn Andrews should be ready for Atlanta.
A lot of Eagles fans are pissed at the Eagles front office for not acquiring Tony Gonzalez by the trade deadline while they watched the Cowboys acquire a playmaking receiver and sign them to a 5-year extension. As much as I’m upset over this series of events, my anger with the front office has declined somewhat after I heard Chris Mortenson report that the Eagles met the Chiefs asking price of a 3rd-round pick for Tony Gonzalez, but was declined by the Chiefs. The Eagles also threw in another player/pick to get Kansas City to trade Gonzalez, but ultimately the Chiefs wouldn’t move him.
I knew that Goodell would have none of this and that Pacman would be suspended at least 2 games, but an indefinite suspension is even better! Thank you Goodell.
The Eagles were in the mix, but were outbid by the Cowboys. The Cowboys gave up a 1st, 3rd, and 6th rounder for Williams, which I think was rather excessive considering the amount of dropped balls, health issues, and general underachieving he’s shown. The Eagles will be fine the rest of the year assuming Westbrook can get healthy in a hurry, Kevin Curtis contributes upon his return, and Reggie Brown stays healthy and keeps making plays. McNabb has been outstanding most games, and his bad games have been when he doesn’t get protection and the WRs don’t get open. Consistent efforts from a fully healthy offense will keep things going in the right direction. Shawn Andrews has been missed.
Here are some random stats on the Eagles that you don’t always think about, but are very important:
Yards Per Play — 5.7 – 8th (Leader: Giants)
1st Downs Per Game — 20 – 8th (Leader: Giants)
3rd Down Conversion Percentage – 42% – 10th (Leader: Cowboys)
Penalties – 25 – 7th Fewest (Leader: Texans)
Turnover Differential — +5 – 2nd (Leader: Titans) SACKS — 21 — FIRST
Forced Fumbles – 7 – 6th (Leader: Cardinals mostly via Cowboys)
Interceptions – 6 – 6th (Leaders: Packers and Buccaneers)
The Bottom Line:
Points Per Game Scored — 27.8 – 7th (Leader: Giants)
Points Per Game Allowed — 20.5 — 12th (Leader: Titans (11.2), 2nd – Giants (12.2))
RECORD: 3-3
I guess that shows where they need to get better at.
The Outlook:
The Eagles are fortunate enough to be able to make 2 statement games against the Giants if they want to be a contender rather than a pretender. They will have the first chance at home November 7.
They are only 1 game out of 2nd, which should translate into a Wild Card. Romo is out a month while the Cowboys face the Rams, Bucs, Giants, Bye, and Redskins. If Romo misses the next 4 games, they’ll be lucky to win 3/4 with that schedule. They’ll most likely get a win over the Rams with an upset alert with Romo out.
Falcons have been coming on strong both offensively and defensively. They have to take that one seriously, but have a huge advantage at home. Roddy White should be doubled at all times. Seahawks should be any easy one. Then the Eagles get to host the Giants. The Eagles could easily be 5-3 going into the Giants game, while the Cowboys go 5-5 if they manage just 1 win or 6-4 if they manage just 2 wins in their next 4.
Week 17 at home against the Cowboys could most likely have a playoff spot on the line.
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